KR20150132495A - Methods and systems for detecting a closure of a navigable element - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for detecting the closure of a road element is disclosed; The road element is one element of a set of alternative elements that enter a node in the network of visited elements or a set of alternative elements that exits the node. The server obtains positional data for position with time of a plurality of devices traversing the node. The count is determined by the number of devices in a consecutive sequence of devices that have selected a given element of the said priori elements from among the set of elements. The count is compared with a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the elements is closed. The threshold is based on the relative probability that the element associated with the count will be taken from the set of road elements.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for detecting closure of a moving element,

The present invention relates to methods and systems for detecting closure of a traveling element (e.g., a road element) in a visited network of navigable elements connected by nodes. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing two or more alternative outgoing navigable elements out of a node of the network of said binomial elements, or a set of two or more alternative incoming navigable elements entering the node And methods and systems for detecting one occlusion using position data associated with movement over time of devices moving along each of the skewed elements of the set.

In the navigation system, it is important to obtain information about the closure of the traveling elements (roads in the road network). The presence of closed roads has a significant impact when routing through the road network. Road closures can be compared to traffic congestion associated with "infinite delays". Therefore, an alternative route designation must be determined to avoid the road element (s) under its influence (closure). It is important for them to be aware of the existence of road closures, even if road users are not following pre-calculated paths. For example, even if a user is following a familiar route, it is useful to recognize it, with the help of a navigation system or with the aid of a navigation system, to determine an alternative route if there is a road closure that affects the route .

Road closure information may be provided to the user (e.g. along with other traffic information) while navigating along the path through a navigation device in the vehicle, such as a mobile device (PND) or an integrated device. Or as an input to an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) device. Road closure information can also be used for route planning, for example, by navigation or ADAS, before starting the itinerary, or if the conditions change while driving along the path, the fastest route in the itinerary Can be used to re-calculate.

In general, path closure is a dynamic event that occurs transiently in road elements or road elements. It is therefore desirable to be able to obtain information about road closures from a " live " system point of view, i.e. from a system standpoint, which represents a relatively current state of the road network. Restrictions on available processing resources and memory in the context of a " real-time " system present other challenges in determining road closure information in a " real-time " system.

Conventional systems for obtaining information about road closures generally rely on data obtained from third parties. For example, such data may be included in " Traffic Message Channel (TMC) " messages or other similar third party messages that may be broadcast over the FM network. Such information may be based on data obtained from sources such as police reports or road agencies / managers. However, since third party data on road closures are not always accurate and may not be recent, relying on such third party data has several disadvantages.

Applicants have recognized that there remains room for improvement in methods and systems for obtaining information about closure of a navigation element, for example, for providing to users and / or navigation or ADAS devices.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for detecting closure of a closure element forming part of a network of closure elements within a geographic area, the network of closure elements comprising a plurality of closure elements connected by a plurality of nodes, The method comprising:

Obtaining positional data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along respective elements of a set of two or more alternative travel elements incoming to a node of the network;

Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of consecutive devices that have selected a given element of the incoming set of two or more alternative visited elements from among the incoming para elements of the set ; And

Comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative visited elements entering the node is closed.

The present invention can be used to determine the closure of one element of a set of two or more alternative clustering elements entering a node of a network of clustering elements or closure of one element of a set of two or more alternative clustering elements leaving the node Can be applied.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of detecting closure of a closure element forming part of a network of closure elements in a geographic area, said network of closure elements comprising a plurality of closure elements connected by a plurality of nodes, The method comprising:

Obtaining positional data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along respective elements of a set of two or more alternative outgoing flights from a node of the network;

Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of devices that selects a given element of the set of outgoing two or more alternative visited elements out of the set of outgoing para elements; And

Comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative travel elements leaving the node is closed.

The steps of the method may involve closure occurring in one element of a set of two or more incoming elements at the same node in the network of disparate elements or at different nodes and closure occurring in one element of the set of two or more outgoing elements Closure < / RTI >

Advantageously, in embodiments of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the saver network further comprises a set of two or more alternative navigation elements leaving the node, the method comprising: obtaining outgoing location data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along each element of the set of two or more alternative visited elements; Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of devices that selects a given element of the set of outgoing two or more alternative visited elements out of the set of outgoing para elements; And comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative travel elements leaving the node is closed.

Similarly, in embodiments of the method according to the second aspect of the present invention, preferably, the saver network further comprises a set of two or more alternative navigation elements entering the node, the method comprising: Obtaining location data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along each element of the set of two or more alternative visited elements entering the node; Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of devices that have selected a given element of the incoming set of two or more alternative visited elements from among the incoming para elements of the set; And comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the two or more alternative set of visited elements arriving at the node is closed.

It is to be understood that any feature described by reference to the first aspect of the present invention is equally applicable to embodiments according to the second aspect of the present invention and vice versa. Thus, the methods described in connection with determining the closure of a set of two or more clustering elements that arrive at a node can be used to determine closure of a set of two or more clustering elements that exit a node of the clustering network, As shown in FIG. When steps are described with respect to a set of outgoing navigation elements and / or two or more alternative navigation elements, such steps may be combined with the incoming navigation element and / or a set of two or more alternative moving elements As will be understood by those skilled in the art. If the method is referred to only as a singular element of one of a set of alternative nominal elements, unless explicitly required by context, it means that one outgoing element in the set of two or more alternative alternative singular elements, It will be appreciated that there may be only one incoming element in the set of elementary elements.

According to various aspects of the present invention, location data for movement of devices moving along a set of a plurality of alternative navigation elements entering a node or a set of a plurality of alternative navigation elements exiting a node may be stored in a storage medium, Is used in conjunction with data representing a count of devices in a consecutive sequence of devices that have selected a given element in the set to determine whether another of the set of elements is closed. This is done by comparing the count to a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value is selected to indicate a closed state of another of the set of aspheric elements.

In this way, by using the location data in conjunction with a set of alternate set of incidental elements or a set of alternating set of alternative outgoing elements from the set, a more accurate determination of the closure information And that such methods can be implemented in a " real-time " system. The methods may be implemented in an efficient manner for processing power and storage requirements. The methods also avoid, at least in embodiments, the need to collect data to determine specifically closure information, using information already available for other uses. Rather than attempting to deduce the closure of the element from the absence of instruments moving along the elements of the set of travel elements, the present invention seeks to determine the presence of instruments moving along a given travel element in the set of travel elements, Indicates closure of other elements. This has been found to cause more accurate closure judgments.

The present invention extends to a system for performing the method according to any of the embodiments of the invention described herein.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for detecting closure of a traveling element forming part of a network of clipping elements within a geographic area, the network of clipping elements comprising a plurality of clipping elements connected by a plurality of nodes Said system comprising:

Means for obtaining positional data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along respective elements of a set of two or more alternative travel elements incoming to a node of the network;

Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of consecutive devices that have selected a given element of the incoming set of two or more alternative visited elements from among the incoming set of visited elements Way; And

The system comprising means for comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative visited elements entering the node has been closed.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for detecting closure of a closure element forming part of a network of closure elements within a geographic area, the network of closure elements comprising a plurality of clutching elements The system comprising:

Means for obtaining position data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along each element of a set of two or more alternative travel elements outgoing from a node of the network;

Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of consecutive devices that have selected a given element of the set of outgoing two or more alternative visited elements out of the set's outgoing topic elements Way; And

Means for comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative visited elements leaving the node has been closed.

As described in connection with the method, the system comprises a closure occurring at one or more elements of the set of two or more incoming elements at the same node or at different nodes in the network of clustering elements, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI >

The present invention with respect to these additional aspects may include any feature or all of the features described with respect to the first and second aspects of the present invention to the extent that they do not contradict one another, Do. Thus, unless explicitly stated herein, the system of the present invention may include means for performing any of the steps of the described method.

The means for performing any of the steps of the method may comprise a set of one or more processors (e.g., programmed) configured to perform it. The given step may be performed using the same or a different set of processors as the other steps. The system may further comprise data storage means, such as a computer memory, for storing data, which may be used, for example, to determine the presence of data indicative of the determined closure, location data, and / Probability data.

In preferred embodiments, the methods of the present invention are implemented by a server. Thus, in embodiments, the system of the present invention includes a server including means for performing the various steps described, wherein the steps of the method described herein are performed by a server.

The present invention provides location data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along each element of a set of two or more alternative set of visiting elements from a set of two or more alternative set of visiting elements, To determine the closure of one of the elements. The incoming alternate elements or outgoing alternative elements are each a set of alternative elements facing away from the node or a set of alternative elements away from the node. The elements of the set of incoming alternative path elements are thus merged at the node while the elements of the outgoing alternative path element set are split at the node. The steps of the method, namely obtaining position data, obtaining a count of devices in a sequence of devices of a given component, and comparing the count to a threshold to determine closure of the component, Is performed with reference to two or more aptitude elements of a set of outgoing or incoming trophic elements at the node. This is because the clipping elements of the set of outgoing or incoming clipping elements can be considered as alternative clipping elements. That is, if one of the elements of the set of elements is closed, the devices may travel along another element of the elements towards or away from the node. The method therefore comprises the steps of using position data and count data relating only to outgoing clause elements when judging the closure of an outgoing clause element and using position data associated with only incoming clause elements when determining closure of the incoming clause element And using the count data. The set of visited elements that come into the node or the set of outgoing element from the node may or may not include all of the incoming or outgoing reference elements at the node.

A node used herein refers to any point in the network of binomial elements (e.g., road elements) having a plurality of incoming or outgoing elements. The node may also include one or more of the incoming or outgoing elements (outgoing or incoming elements). The node may correspond to a decision point of the network of causal elements. A node may be any type of junction. For example, the node may be an intersection of a highway, or a point where an entryway or exitway meets the highway.

It will be appreciated that the network of referential elements referred to herein, therefore, means that the node and the set of elements of the set of two or more incoming or outgoing navigational elements refer to physical referent networks or real world navigational elements. The network can be electronically represented by digital map data. In embodiments in which the method is implemented using a server, the digital map data may be stored by a server or otherwise accessible by a server. Each missed element of a set of outgoing or incoming alternative temporal elements is represented by at least a portion of one or more hypothetical segments of the digital map, and the node may be represented by a node of the digital map. In some embodiments, each binning element of the outgoing or incoming set of two or more alternative binning elements is represented by a single binomial section of the digital map.

The travel element referred to herein is an element for a given travel direction (i.e., toward or away from the node). The closure thus determined is a closure occurring in at least one direction of travel.

In preferred embodiments, the set of two or more outgoing or incoming two or more skewness elements suitably consists of only two outgoing or incoming skewness elements. The method may thus be a method for detecting the presence of a closure occurring in one of a pair of outgoing alternative alternative clustering elements at one or a pair of outgoing alternative clustering elements at a node of the network of clustering elements. The method comprises the steps of obtaining positional data for movement of a plurality of instruments along each element of the pair of outgoing sinusoidal elements or along each element of the pair of incoming sinusoidal elements, The location data being data representing a count of devices in a consecutive sequence of consecutive devices taking a given one of the pair of outgoing paths or taking a given one of the pair of incoming paths With a predetermined threshold, to determine whether the remaining elements of the pair of incoming or outgoing alternative path elements have been closed.

It will be appreciated that the methods of the present invention can be easily extended to the step of determining closure occurring in one of the set of two or more incoming skirting elements or a set of two or more outgoing skirting elements.

The present invention may be implemented for any type of causal elements. Advantageously, said travel elements are road elements (of the road network). In some embodiments, the navigation element (s) are elements of a highway, but the techniques are applicable to any type of road element, or indeed other types of navigation elements, It will be understood. Implementations on highway systems are particularly desirable because such data is likely to already exist. For example, the first incoming alternate boot element and the second incoming alternative boot element may each be a slip road and a main road on a highway, or vice versa. Although the exemplary embodiments refer to road elements in a road network, the present invention can be applied to any type of moving element, including paths, rivers, canals, cycle paths, tow paths, railroad tracks, It will be understood. For ease of reference, travel elements are usually referred to as road elements in a road network. Therefore, the present invention is applicable to the closure detection of any visited element.

 The method includes obtaining positional data on movement of devices moving along two or more alternative navigation elements entering the node or each element of a set of two or more alternative navigation elements leaving the node And using the location data. The location data is used to determine a count of devices in the sequence of sequences of devices that have selected a given element from the set of outgoing or incoming alternative visited elements, It is used to determine if one is closed.

The position data used in accordance with the present invention may be used to determine the positional movement of a plurality of devices moving along the respective elements of a set of two or more incoming trophic elements or of alternative trophic elements of a set of two or more outgoing trophic elements Is the position data for. The method comprising the steps of: receiving the position data for movement of a plurality of devices within a geographic area, the node including the node having a set of two or more alternate visiting elements or a set of two or more alternate visiting elements And filtering the position data to determine whether each of the two or more a priori elements coming into the node or the alternative elements of the set of two or more a priori elements leaving the node, And obtaining positional data on movement of the plurality of devices moving along the time axis. This can be done with reference to the known location of the node. Wherein the step of obtaining location data for the movement of the devices in the set of incoming visited elements or each element of the set of outgoing visited elements comprises the steps of: For example.

Wherein the step of obtaining positional data for movement of devices moving along the navigation element in a case where an alternative navigation element is represented by a plurality of legacy sections of a digital map comprises the steps of: Including the consideration of the destination, so that relevant location data for the running of devices following the said navigation element can be identified.

In some implementations, acquiring the location data may include accessing the data. That is, the data is previously received and stored. It will be appreciated that for " real-time " location data, the data may be stored just prior to use so that it can be considered real-time data. In other ways, the method may include receiving location data from the devices. In embodiments in which the data acquisition step includes receiving data from the devices, the method may further comprise storing the received location data before initiating performing other steps of the present invention , And optionally filtering the data. The step of receiving the position data need not be performed at the same time or at the same time as the other steps or other steps of the method.

Location data used in accordance with the present invention is collected from one or more devices, preferably a plurality of devices, and relates to the movement of devices over time. The devices are therefore mobile devices. It will be appreciated that at least a portion of the location data is associated with temporal data (e.g., a timestamp). However, if the location data can be used to provide information about the movement of devices in accordance with alternative travel elements at the node in accordance with the present invention, for purposes of the present invention, all location data need to be associated with temporal data none. However, in preferred embodiments, all location data is associated with temporal data (e.g., a timestamp).

The location data is for the movement of the devices over time and may be used to provide a location "trace" of the route taken by the device. As described above, the data may be received from the device (s) or stored first. The devices may be any mobile devices capable of providing the location data and sufficiently associated timing data for purposes of the present invention. The device may be any device having a positioning function. For example, the device may include means for accessing and receiving information from WiFi access points or cellular communication networks, such as a GSM device, and using such information to determine the location of the device. In preferred embodiments, however, the device includes a Global Navigation Satellite system (GNSS) receiver, such as a GPS receiver, to receive satellite signals indicative of the location of the receiver at a particular point in time, , And receives updated position information at regular intervals. Such devices may include mobile communication devices with navigation functions, position sensors, etc., and navigation devices.

Advantageously, said device is associated with a vehicle. In such embodiments, the location of the device will coincide with the location of the vehicle. References to position data obtained from instruments associated with vehicles may be replaced with references to position data obtained from the vehicle and references to motion of the instrument or instruments may be used to indicate movement of the vehicle , And vice versa. The device may be integrated with the vehicle, or it may be an individual device associated with the vehicle, such as a portable navigation device. Of course, the position data may be obtained from a combination of different instruments, or from a single type of instrument.

Location data obtained from a plurality of devices is generally known as " probe data ". Data obtained from instruments associated with the vehicle may be referred to as vehicle probe data. Thus, references to " probe data " herein are to be understood to be interchangeable with the term " position data ", which location data may be referred to herein as probe data for the sake of brevity.

The method of the present invention is based on the temporal movement of a plurality of devices moving along a respective set of two or more alternative set of travel elements leaving the node or a set of two or more alternative travel elements entering the node And using the location data for the node to determine the presence of a closure occurring in one of the set of incoming or outgoing alternative visited elements at the node. The data is a trace of each time to location for each device.

The present invention provides " real time " or short term detection of closure based on current data or near current data. It will be appreciated that for real-time location data, the data may be stored just prior to use, so that it can be considered real-time data.

Preferably, the method of the present invention further comprises the steps < RTI ID = 0.0 > of " real-time " for the movement of a plurality of devices moving along each element of the set of outgoing alternative alternative elements, or each element of the incoming alternative, Acquiring location data and using such " real-time " location data to determine closure of one of the navigation elements. Real-time data can be considered as data that is relatively current and provides an indication of the current conditions relative to each alternative navigation element. The real-time data may generally relate to states for final elements within the last 30 minutes, within 15 minutes, within 10 minutes, or within 5 minutes. By using real-time position data to determine closure information, it can be assumed that the determined information is currently applicable and may be applicable in the future, at least within a short period of time. The use of real-time location data allows accurate and up-to-date closure information to be determined, which closure information can be trusted by road users and / or navigation devices or ADAS. This is in contrast to systems that trust third-party data that may not reflect the current situation. This reduces the risk of the user or system computing the path to avoid reported closure that can no longer be applied and reduces the delay between the closure that is occurring and its presence.

According to the present invention, the method comprises the steps of analyzing the location data to determine whether an alternative incoming incoming navigation element in a set of alternative incoming navigation elements, or an alternative incoming outgoing navigation element in a set of alternative outgoing navigation elements, Determining data indicative of a count of devices in the sequence of sequences. This step is for any other element of the remaining elements of the alternative set of elements in the set. The determined count is used in conjunction with a threshold value to determine whether another of the set of alternative outgoing or incoming trophic elements (i.e., elements other than the element associated with the count) is closed. The method may include determining the count by counting the number of devices in the sequence of devices moving along a given one of the alternative incoming elements or a set of the alternative outgoing elements. This step may be performed with reference to the direction of the devices entering or leaving the appropriate node. The method therefore includes counting the number of devices in the sequence of devices entering or leaving the node via a given element of the alternative incoming trophic elements or the set of alternative outgoing trophic elements can do. The count may be determined with reference to devices entering or leaving the node by the respective visited elements or the respective missed elements of each of the outgoing set of visited elements. If the device is detected in another of the alternate incoming trophic elements or the set of alternative outgoing trophic elements, the method includes initiating a count of the devices in the sequence of devices to move along that trophic element . This step is for any other phantom element of the set.

When one alternative element of the set of alternative path elements coming out of the node is closed, it is generally possible to select a given alternative path element of the set, The count will be higher than the count when there is no closure. This is because of the devices (e.g., vehicles) forced to switch to the alternative navigation element. The threshold is therefore a set that can be considered to indicate that another element of each set of alternative closure elements is closed, as a set of outgoing closure elements or a given alternative incoming clue element of a set of incoming clue elements, May be a set that represents a count of devices in a sequence of devices for selecting alternate outgoing email elements. This can be compared to situations when you throw coins. There will be a probability of obtaining a run of "heads" or "tails" of a given length, but if the mileage increases, the probability of obtaining the run will decrease. Likewise, the probability of obtaining a sequence of devices that select a particular alternative incoming or departing optional entry element from a set of possible incoming or departing trophic elements is determined by the number of devices in the sequence Eventually, if the count exceeds a certain level, such a count can not be expected to occur in the absence of one of the alternative incoming elements or alternative outgoing elements of the set, and can no longer be used .

According to the present invention, the threshold value compared with the count is taken as a threshold count of devices in a sequence of sequences in a given search element, indicating that another of the search elements of the set of search clauses is closed Is a threshold count that can be taken. The method further comprises the step of determining that the outgoing trophy elements or another element of the incoming set of trophy elements is closed when the count of devices in the sequence of sequences selecting the given trophy element of the set exceeds the threshold Step < / RTI >

The method extends to setting the threshold. The threshold is a predetermined threshold and may be stored by a server implementing the methods of the present invention or otherwise accessible by the server.

The number of devices in the count determined for a given set of two or more incoming trophy elements or a set of two or more outgoing trophy elements to indicate the closure of another element of each set of trophy elements is determined by Element. ≪ / RTI > Preferably, therefore, the threshold value is specific to the priori element for which a count of devices in a sequence of sequences is determined. The threshold value of the number of devices is only required if the number of devices in the determined count of a sequence of devices of a given selection module is greater than a statistically significant number that can be expected to be absent, The threshold may be set to effect the determination of the presence of closure. The method is characterized in that the counting of the sequence of the series of devices selecting the given navigation element is sufficiently (or logically) possible that the occurrence of the incoming navigation elements or the absence of closure occurring in an alternative element of the set of outgoing navigation elements ), The set being set such that the hypothesis of closure of another of the set of alternative clustering elements can be made (e.g., with a certain confidence level) , ≪ / RTI >

Advantageously, said threshold is selected for any other element of said alternative incoming trophic elements or a set of alternative outgoing trophic elements, said given alternative element of said set of alternative incoming trophic elements or alternative outgoing trophic elements Is set with reference to the relative probability of < / RTI > Preferably, the threshold value for a given incoming trophic element depends on the relative probability of the given incoming alternative trophic element selected by the device among the incoming set of alternative trophic elements. This is similar to the threshold for the skip element, which is the outgoing skip element. The relative probability that the given bayonet element will be taken is related to the relative probability that the bayonet element will be taken rather than any of the remaining elements of the set of alternative elements when each of the bayonet elements is open. Thus, the relative probability of the hypothesis factor taken may be referred to as the expected relative probability of the selected factor. An observed count of devices in a sequence of devices observed as taking a given alternative item of interest, rather than any other elements of the alternative alternative items of the set in accordance with the location data, The relative probability data may be used to assess when there is a likelihood that it will not occur sufficiently under the general conditions that the presence of a closure occurring in another alternative closure element of the set of elements may be deduced. In embodiments, the threshold is set higher as the relative probability associated with taking the given element of the set of asphalt elements increases.

By way of example, with reference to a situation having a set of two alternative closure elements coming into a node, the expected relative probability of the first one of the closure elements taken for the second closure element may be 90%. In yet another situation, the expected relative probability of said first visited element taken may be only 10%. In the first case, it can be seen that, in the absence of a closure occurring in another element, the sequence of a given length of a series of devices selecting the first asymptotic element than the second asymptotic element is more likely to be counted. Wherein, if it is associated with a relatively low probability that taking said given task element from the set of said task elements to which a given task element belongs, then the relatively short of a series of devices selecting said task element among alternative task element (s) Even encountering a sequence will not be common. Thus, if the selected skewed element among the set of skewed elements is associated with a relatively low probability, then the threshold of the number of instruments in the series that selects a given one of the skewed elements is determined such that the observed number is another May be set low for the same degree of reliability as that representing the closure of the element.

The method may include storing a threshold for each of the set of alternative binning elements that arrive at the node and / or the respective binning elements of the set of alternative binning elements outgoing from the node, Value is for use in determining whether another element of the related set of these hypothetical elements is closed. The threshold value may be associated with the digital map data representing the navigation element or each navigation element. Each threshold may be set according to any of the embodiments described herein.

In embodiments in which thresholds are set using relative probability data, the relative probability data may include a turning fraction for a given causal element. The turn rate refers to the probability that the said asphyxia element will be taken from a set of alternative asymptotical elements coming into the node or from a set of alternative asymptotical elements going out of the node. In general, there will be a number of clustering elements likely to be most likely to be taken in a given set, and one or more alternative clustering elements having a relatively low probability of being taken among the clustering elements. Said data indicating an expected relative probability of an incoming or outgoing trophy element being taken or taken in a set of said incoming trophy elements or a set of said outgoing trophy elements, . The data may also be any data that directly or indirectly indicates such a probability. For example, the data may be transmitted to other alternative incoming trophy elements or elements of the set of incoming trophy elements, or to other alternative outgoing trophy elements or elements of the set of outgoing trophy elements, And may include a fraction representing the proportion of devices that may be expected to select outgoing fare elements. Preferably, the relative probability is pre-existing data.

Advantageously, said expected relative probability data is a relative probability that is historical of the incident element being taken. Advantageously, said relative stochastic data comprises at least one of a set of incoming trophic elements or at least one of a set of incoming trophic elements, at least one set of historical position data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along respective elements of said set of alternative trophic elements, Partially, and entirely in embodiments. The location data may be any of the types described above with respect to the location data used in the present invention and may be obtained according to any of the methods described. Advantageously, said location data can be obtained from devices associated with vehicles. Preferably, therefore, the data is historical vehicle probe data.

The data representing the relative probability that the causal element is taken represents the expected relative probability that the causal element takes, and the references to the " relative probability " data should be understood in the same way unless otherwise required by context. The relative probability data need not be based, at least exclusively, on the historical location data. The relative probability data may represent a theoretical relative probability that the causal element takes, or may be empirically determined in any other suitable way. The relative probability data may be based, at least in part, on real-time data. Thus, in some embodiments, the probability data is based on real-time location data and / or historical location data.

Obtaining the relative probability data may comprise collecting the position data and using the position data to determine data indicative of the historical expected relative probability of the given alternative candidate element to be taken. Preferably, however, obtaining the expected relative probability data includes loading the data from a database. Thus, preferably, the expected relative probability data is pre-existing stored relative probability data. The database may store relative probability data on the likelihood that each binomial element of the set of incoming binomial elements and / or the set of outgoing binomial elements of the set of incoming binomial elements is taken at each of a plurality of nodes in the network of said binomial elements have. The database may be configured using location data collected for movements of the device (e.g., vehicle) over time within a geographic area as is known in the art. It is anticipated that the relative probability data of the database may be periodically updated at appropriate time intervals (e. G., Every four weeks) based on the collected location data.

Preferably, the relative probability data used to set the threshold represents a (probable) relative probability of the given one of the covariance elements selected from the set of two or more alternative covariance elements within a given time period . The time period is a period associated with position data used with the threshold to detect closure. Also, the time period may be a period applicable to the current time. The invention includes, in at least embodiments, a comparison of a threshold based on relative probability data for the hypothetical element and a count of actually observed movements in a given element of the set of alternative hypothetical elements according to the positional data Wherein the relative probability data is a probability that the relative probability that the element will be taken, which can be expected to be applicable at a time related to the position data, as it determines the presence of a closure occurring in another element of the set of the causal elements . In this way, the relative probability data may be used to set a level of an appropriate threshold under traffic conditions and traffic patterns that may be expected at times associated with the location data, For the longest expected count of the devices of the device, whether there is a statistically significant difference. The time period may be any day of the day and / or a week.

Preferably, the threshold used in accordance with the invention for comparison with a count of devices selecting a given visited element of the set of visited elements is a threshold for a time period associated with the location data (e.g., a count) . If the data is real-time data, preferably the time period is the current time. In embodiments, the method includes determining whether a count of a sequence of outgoing buzzing elements or a sequence of devices selecting a given one element of a set of incoming buoy elements indicates a closure of another of the elements, Storing, for a plurality of different time periods for each element, data indicative of a threshold for use in determining, said threshold preferably being such that during said period, Is based on data indicating a state probability to be taken. The method may include selecting, from the database, a threshold for a time period corresponding to a time associated with the location data, wherein when determining whether a closure exists, And using the count data and the threshold value determined using the position data.

Advantageously, said threshold data and / or relative probability data is associated with digital map data representing a set of said alternate incoming trophic elements or a node associated with said set of alternative outgoing trophic elements.

In accordance with the present invention, in any of the aspects or embodiments of the present invention, the threshold of the number of devices is selected to provide a given confidence level for the assumption that there is a closure affecting the alternative closure element of the set Can be set. For example, for a given relative probability associated with taking a given alternative clustering element in a set of clustering elements, setting the threshold to a higher value will naturally result in a high level of confidence in the assumption. That is, it may be possible to assume a closed situation when a given number of devices selecting the said navigation element is observed in a sequence, but as the number of devices increases, the length of the sequence under " normal & And the reliability of the conclusion that there is a closure increases.

If the set of the visited elements includes two or more outgoing trophy elements or two or more incoming trophy elements, the comparison of the count to the threshold for one of the given elements causes the other element of the elements to be closed The method may be repeated and in this case a count for another given one of the set of sinusoidal elements is determined to determine whether another of the elements is closed can do.

It has sometimes been recognized that erroneous positive determinations of closure affecting causal factors can be made. This may be due to the fact that the absence of devices (e.g., vehicles) traveling along a particular flight element may be due to the closure of the travel element, but other factors may also be encountered in devices moving along the travel element (e.g., As shown in FIG. Such factors may include map errors. Unless the digital map data is inaccurate or up-to-date, the course of the taxonomy section (s) representing the taxonomic element may not be accurate. This may be simply due to an error in the digital map, a temporary relocation of the travel element (e.g. due to roadwork), or a permanent closure of the element for a new element. Thus, when there is a device that moves along the navigation element, when the navigation element is actually rearranged or when the map data does not correctly reflect the position of the actual navigation element, one or more navigation sections having a route according to the map data It can be judged that there are no devices running along the causal element represented by < RTI ID = 0.0 > In the embodiments described herein, such a situation occurs when vehicles are traveling along another element of the set of these traveling elements, but such vehicles are not detected because the map data does not accurately reflect the route of the other traveling elements It may lead to a determination that a sequence of devices having a length exceeding the threshold for the closure judgment has passed along the clipping element, when in practice the actual length of the sequence is substantially short.

In preferred embodiments, if the presence of the occlusion is determined based on the threshold, the method further comprises performing a verification step. This is particularly useful in improving the accuracy of the closure information determination in the context of the preferred, real-time systems, implementations of the present invention.

According to the present invention, in any or any of the embodiments of the present invention, preferably, the present invention further comprises means for providing location data received from each device of the plurality of devices, And attempting to match the position on one of the plurality of legacy sections of the digital map. This process may be referred to as " map matching "and may involve the use of various algorithms known in the art. The method includes the steps of: The map matching process may include a step of comparing the position indicated by the position data and the position on the search element matched with the position data, In the embodiments, for each of the plurality of devices, the method may comprise the step of determining, for each of the position data points and the position on the navigational element of the digital map, The map matching error may be determined for each data pointer. Such map matching error < RTI ID = 0.0 > May be caused by various reasons such as, for example, general noise and / or mapping errors in the position data signals (e.g., the baseline of the clipping element does not have accurate position information in the map, And the position of the navigation element expressed by the section of the map does not exactly coincide with the actual position of the actual element.) The difference between the position indicated by the position data and the closest position along the reference section of the map It is possible to determine that the position of the device can not be matched with the legend section of the digital map, for example, if the route of the actual trip element is recorded in the digital map data It may be the case that it is changed differently from it.

In embodiments, the set of two or more alternative outgoing trophy elements or one or more of the set of two or more alternate incoming trophy elements may be associated with one or more of the legacy regions in the geographic region covered by the digital map, The method comprising: defining a geographical area covered by the map, the geographical area covered by the map comprising the abstraction section or each abstraction section representing the galleries element determined to be affected by closure; The number of devices for which positions can be matched with the ancestral section of the digital map data while moving through the geographic area may be selected such that the location can be matched with the navigation section of the digital map within the geographic area To the number of pixels; And verifying the closure determined using the comparison results. Thus, the devices are devices that can be continuously matched or not matched with the legend of the digital map within the geographic area while moving through the area. In embodiments, when the location is within a predetermined distance from the location along the abstraction section, the location of the device may be matched with the ephemeris section. The distance may be set as known in the art to take into account intrinsic errors such as the position data signals, thereby allowing an error of the order given by the map matching process.

Wherein the step of determining the number of devices in which the locations during travel through the geographic area are not matched with the digital map's boundaries and comparing the number to the number of devices with which the locations can be matched, A suspected closure that affects a clipping element represented by one or more closure intervals in the geographic region, even if closure is determined whether or not it has been determined using methods in accordance with the prior aspects of the invention, And is also more generally applicable to the verification of other attributes, such as geometric changes associated with the binomial elements of the network of binomial elements represented by one or more binomial intervals of the digital map.

Accordingly, in accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for verifying a determined attribute associated with a referential element forming part of a network of vector elements within a geographic region, the network of referential elements comprising a plurality of nodes connected by a plurality of nodes Each navigational element being represented by one or more binomial intervals of a digital map covering the geographic region, the method comprising the steps of:

CLAIMS 1. A method for verifying an attribute of a traveling element forming a part of a network of moving elements within a geographic region,

Wherein the network of visited elements comprises a plurality of visited elements connected by a plurality of nodes,

Each hypothetical element being represented by one or more hypothesized sections of a digital map covering the geographic region, the method comprising:

Defining a geographic area within the area covered by the map, the geographic area comprising one or more binned sections representing a binomial element, the binomial element being associated with the one or more binomial sections, Branch, step;

Obtaining positional data on movement of a plurality of devices over time within the geographic area;

The number of devices for which positions can be matched with the ancestral section of the digital map data while moving through the geographic area may be selected such that the location can be matched with the navigation section of the digital map within the geographic area To the number of pixels; And

And verifying the attribute associated with the visited element using the comparison results.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for verifying attributes of a traveling element forming part of a network of moving elements within a geographical area, the network of traveling elements comprising a plurality of traveling elements connected by a plurality of nodes Each navigational element being represented by one or more metric sections of a digital map covering the geographic area, the system comprising:

Means for defining a geographical area within the area covered by the map, the geographical area comprising one or more boolean terms representing a boolean element, the boolean element being associated with the one or more boolean terms, Branches, means;

Means for obtaining position data relating to movement of a plurality of devices over time within the geographic region;

The number of devices for which positions can be matched with the ancestral section of the digital map data while moving through the geographic area may be selected such that the location can be matched with the navigation section of the digital map within the geographic area Means for comparing the number of times with the number of times; And

And means for verifying an attribute associated with the visited element using the comparison results.

In some embodiments, the attribute indicates closure of the element. The occlusion can be determined using any technique and need not be judged using the techniques of the present invention. Alternatively, the attribute may be any other attribute of the element, e.g., an attribute indicating a geometric change of the element.

In these additional aspects, the invention may be implemented by a server. The server may be adapted to store the digital map data and to perform the defined steps.

In these additional aspects, the present invention may include any feature or all of the features described above with respect to previous aspects of the invention, to the extent that additional aspects and previous aspects are not contradictory, and vice versa. Unless expressly recited herein, the system may include means for performing any of the steps of the method described.

The means for performing any of the steps of the method may comprise a set of one or more processors (e.g., programmed) configured to perform such steps. The given step may be performed using the same or a different set of processors as the other steps. Any given step may be performed using a combination of sets of processors.

According to the present invention, in these additional aspects and embodiments, where the locations include a comparison of the number of devices that can or may not match the trip sections in the geographic area, The number of devices that can not be matched with the ephemeris section can be determined by determining the number of devices that can not be matched initially with locations according to the ephemeris of the digital map and that can not be matched with a portion of the ephemeris or the ephemeris . That is, the devices are devices that appear to the system as " lost ".

The method includes, in these additional aspects and embodiments, the number of devices during which the locations during travel through the geographic area can not be matched with the duration of the digital map, and the locations during travel through the geographic area, Determining that the determined closure or other attribute associated with the skewed element is not valid when the ratio of the number of devices that can match the interval exceeds the predetermined threshold. The method includes the steps of determining the number of devices that can not be matched with the segment of the digital map during travel through the geographic area and the number of devices that can be matched with the segment of the digital map during travel through the geographic area And verifying the determined attribute (e.g., closure), as long as the ratio does not exceed a predetermined threshold. The threshold value may be set as desired, instead of an error in the digital map data, for example depending on the degree of reliability required, where closure is present. Alternatively or additionally, the method may further comprise the steps of: determining a number of devices in which the locations during travel through the geographic area can not be matched with the duration of the digital map, and the locations during travel through the geographic area, And verifying the attribute or closure when the ratio of the number of devices that may be available is less than a predetermined threshold.

The geographic region may be defined in any suitable and desired manner. For example, the region may be a circle having a predetermined radius centered at a location associated with the closure element to be verified or associated with the other closure element. The position may be any suitable reference position according to the above-mentioned reference element. The radius can be, for example, 1000 m. The region may be defined in the same manner for any phantom element having an attribute to be verified (e.g., closed), or alternatively, the geographical region may depend on the phantom element, for example, Depending on the location of the element. In these embodiments, setting the geographical area to a larger size would cause the potential attributes and closures to be discarded if there is a problem with the digital map at a greater distance from the potentially affected element. On the other hand, setting the geographical area to a smaller size will cause the provisional attributes and closures to be verified unless there is a more local problem with the map.

According to the present invention, in aspects or embodiments of the present invention that include the determination of closure of a closure element, if a determination is made that closure originating in the closure element is present and, in the preferred embodiment, The information can be used in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, the method further comprises associating the data indicative of the presence of the (preferably verified) closure with the clipping or each clipping section representing the affected clipping element in the digital map . The data may be in the form of an attribute associated with the element or with each element. The method may include storing data associated with data indicative of the presence of said (preferably verified) closure, preferably representing said binomial element or each binomial section, have. The method may include using the determined data indicative of closure when calculating the path and / or providing traffic information (e.g., to devices associated with the vehicles). The method may include providing information indicating the determined (preferably verified) closure to a third party provider, for example a traffic information provider.

If the attribute is verified, the verified attribute can be used to update the digital map data. For example, the attribute may be a change in the route of the causal element. The verified attribute may be used to update the additive or additive intervals expressing the hypothetical element of the digital map data.

 It will be appreciated that the methods according to the present invention may be implemented at least in part using software. In further aspects, it will be appreciated that the present invention may be extended to a computer program product comprising computer readable instructions adapted to perform any or all of the methods described herein when executed on suitable data processing means will be. The invention may also be extended to a computer software carrier comprising such software. Such a software carrier may be a physical (or non-temporal) storage medium, or it may be a radio signal, such as, for example, a satellite, an electronic or optical signal through a wire.

The invention in accordance with further aspects or embodiments of the invention may include any feature of the features described with reference to the other aspects or embodiments of the invention to the extent that they do not contradict one another .

It should be noted that the phrase " associated with it " for one or more intervals should not be construed as requiring any particular limitation on data storage locations. The above statement only requires that the features are perceptibly related to the element. Thus, the association can be realized, for example, by reference to a side file that is potentially located on a remote server.

The advantages of these embodiments are described below, and the additional details and features of each of these embodiments are defined in the appended independent claims and the following detailed description.

Various aspects of the teachings of the present invention and arrangements for implementing such teachings will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2a shows a node with two incoming alternative road elements.
Figure 2b shows a node with two outgoing alternative road elements.
Figure 3 shows road sections of a digital map within the area of a node and includes road elements that change course as indicated by the dashed line when compared to the road section intended to represent the element.
Figure 4 shows an example of how a GPS probe data can be matched with a digital map in an area where there is a temporary change in the layout of the road element.
Figures 5A-D are graphs of cumulative distribution functions that can be used to describe longest run observations, according to Gumbel statistics.

The present invention relates, in at least preferred embodiments, to methods and systems for determining the closure of a road element in a network of road elements. It is important in a navigation system to accurately determine the presence of road closures. Road closure will affect possible routes between the origin and destination, making it necessary to use alternative routes around the closed element. Indeed, the presence of road closures affects road networks comparable to traffic congestion with infinite severity. Regardless of whether the path is pre-computed, it is important to inform the users of the navigation system of the road closures so that users can take different paths if necessary. The present invention provides a method for more reliably and automatically detecting obstacles.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flow chart of Fig. The method illustrated in FIG. 1 is realized in a real-time system using real-time position data. An example of real-time location data is GPS probe data that can be used for analysis in a short time (e.g., three minutes). Vehicle probe data received from instruments (e.g., GPS devices) associated with the probe data vehicles, wherein the location of the instruments coincides with the location of the vehicle. Alternatively, the probe data may be referred to as " location data ". The probe data or position data is associated with temporal data. The probe data may be used to derive probe traces for the driving of probe vehicles in a geographic area including the traffic control signal of interest.

The first step of the method according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is a method for controlling a vehicle running along a respective element of a pair of road elements entering a junction or each element of a pair of road elements exiting from the intersection, And uses the real-time probe data to identify probe traces associated with the probe traces. If one element is closed, the pair of incoming road elements or outgoing road elements can be considered as " alternative " road elements so that the vehicle can be expected to use the remaining road elements. Fig. 2A shows alternative road elements A and B coming into intersection C. Fig. Also shown is a road element D exiting the intersection. Fig. 2B shows alternative road elements E and F exiting the intersection G and also shows the incoming element H. Fig. The road elements of a pair of incoming road elements or a pair of outgoing road elements may be, for example, a main road and a ramp.

The road elements and the intersection points are each represented by road segments and nodes of the digital map data stored by the server. Although the method is described with reference to alternative road elements, each represented as a single road section of a digital map, the method may be implemented for road elements represented as part of one or more road sections of the digital map.

The alternative road elements and nodes considered may be selected as desired from the road network. The server may be configured to identify a list of two or more incoming alternative road elements or associated sets of two or more alternative road elements and a list of intersection points in connection therewith, Is performed to detect whether a road element of one of the alternative road elements of the set is closed. Although the present invention is illustrated with respect to two alternative road elements that enter an intersection or sets of two alternative road elements that exit at an intersection for ease of reference, the present invention may be applied to two or more alternative roads Elements, or sets of two or more alternative road elements that exit at an intersection.

Referring to the situation illustrated in FIG. 2B where a pair of outgoing road elements E and F are associated with an intersection G, in a second step, the server sends each of the road elements E and F (E) of the vehicles that are in the sequence of vehicles selecting the outgoing road element (E) other than the outgoing road element (F) when leaving the intersection by analyzing the vehicle probe data for the running of the following vehicles count). This step counts the first vehicle taking the road element E and counts every time there is another vehicle that takes this road element E until a vehicle on which the road element F is instead picked up Lt; / RTI > At this stage, the number of consecutive series of vehicles taking only one road element out of a pair of outgoing alternative road elements is counted. The count is determined by using real time vehicle probe data and by identifying devices that have been identified as taking road segments or road segments corresponding to the relevant road elements (E and F) at the node representing the intersection of digital map data . That is, the probe data may be " map-matched ". If there are two or more outgoing alternative road elements at the intersection, traces the origin and destination of the vehicles using probe traces to obtain an appropriate count of vehicles selecting one of the other road elements May be needed.

In a third step, the server compares the count of vehicles taking the road element E with a threshold value to determine whether the road element F can be estimated to be closed. If the count exceeds the threshold, the road element F is considered to be closed and optionally closed until verification of the closure is made. Said threshold being a predetermined threshold value specific to said road element (E). That is, the threshold is an appropriately determined threshold value for determining whether the remaining elements are closed using a count of the series of vehicles found on the element (E). The threshold may be related to the current time. The threshold value depends on the relative probability that the road element E is taken out of the two road elements E and F. The higher the relative probability of the road element, the higher the threshold value. The setting of the threshold value will be described in more detail below. In summary, the threshold is set so that the likelihood of occurrence under general conditions (i.e., when elements E and F are open) is considered to be statistically insignificant, F) is closed, as shown in FIG.

By way of example, referring to the situation shown in FIG. 2B where a pair of outgoing road elements E and F are associated with an intersection G, if E is the main road and F is the exit, The relative probabilities of the vehicle may be 90% and 10%, respectively. If E is the exit and F is the dominant, then the relative probabilities will be reversed. Thus, if E is a dominant path taken with a relatively high probability, the threshold used to determine whether the count indicates a closure of F will be set to be higher than the threshold if E is an entry / exit path. It would be more common to obtain higher counts of a series of vehicles taking the lead road than the entry and exit roads so that a series of vehicles in the main road, , It reflects the fact that a higher count will be required to find out if the alternative road is closed.

Such relative stochastic data is determined empirically by analyzing the history of vehicle probe data for motions of vehicles across the intersection. The data is updated periodically (e. G., Every four weeks) using position data collected during that period since the last update. Thus, the real-time position data may be stored for later use to update the relative probability data for the intersection. This type of data can be known for other intersections of the road network, avoiding the need to specifically gather data for purposes of the present invention. There may be a database of turning fractions for each intersection of the network, which is accessed by the server or stored by the server to obtain relevant relative probability data.

The same process will be used when the incoming road elements are considered. For example, referring to FIG. 2A, a count of the number of vehicles arriving at the intersection along a road element A other than the road element B may be determined using the probe data in a similar manner. The count may then be compared to a threshold for road element A to determine whether the count can be considered to indicate that road element B is closed.

In an optional but preferred fourth step, the server verifies the result of the closure of the road element (i.e. the road element F in this example). To do this, the server defines a geographical area centered on the road section of the map, which has a predetermined radius in the digital map representing the network of temporary elements and which represents the road element (F) . The radius defining the region may be, for example, 1000 m.

When determining a count of vehicles taking element E, the server performs map matching between the road sections of the digital map and the vehicle probe data. As is known in the art, this involves attempting to match each location received from the device with a location along the road section of the map. It is possible to match the position with the interval if the received position does not correspond to a position along the interval and the position is different from the position of the interval below a threshold value that is considered to match the interval And has a suitable map matching error indicating the difference between the position observed in accordance with the data and the position on the map matched with the observed position. In some cases, however, it is impossible to match the received position to a position along the road section of the digital map, at least within an acceptable map matching error for the system. This is due to, for example, a change in the course of a road element not reflected in the map data, or simply because of an error in the map data, Lt; / RTI >

When performing the verification step, the server determines the number of vehicles whose location can not be continuously matched with the road section of the digital map during travel across the predefined area, Determines the number of vehicles whose position can be continuously matched with the road section of the digital map during the rubbing run. It is determined that the closure can not be verified if the ratio of the number of devices whose position can not be matched to the number of devices that can be matched exceeds a predetermined threshold. This is because the location of a significant number of devices and the inabiliby of maps of sections of the digital map within the area containing the provisionally closed elements suggest that there is a problem with the map data within the area. If the map data is inaccurate, there is a possibility that the road segment intended to express the road element F does not accurately reflect the course of the actual road element. This means that when the movements of the vehicles along the road element F can not be matched with the road section representing the element F and thus the count of the series of vehicles selecting the road element E, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > (F) < / RTI > Thus, the determined count of the series of vehicles selecting element E may be higher than in the actual case, which may lead to inaccurate threshold triggering or " false positive " results in determining closure of element F It causes.

The verification method is described with reference to FIG. Figure 3 shows a portion of a predefined area represented by a digital map. A portion of the area shown in FIG. 3 includes a node K and the node K includes a road section L2 (connected to the road section L1) and two road sections L2 There are intervals M and N1. The road section N1 is connected to the road section N2. The server attempts to match the locations of the vehicles according to the received probe data with the road segments of the digital map shown in FIG. In this example, the locations of the devices traveling along the road element represented by section L1 are initially matched with the section. However, after passing through point O, when the vehicles are traveling toward the node K, it is no longer possible to match their positions with the road section L1. This is because the road element L1 now follows the path P shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3 instead of the course of the road sections L1 and L2 leading to the node K, Because it no longer accurately represents the trajectory of the actual road element that you want to represent at this point. Thus, probe traces for vehicles traveling along road section L1 become " lost " at this point. This is because probe traces can no longer be matched with the digital map as the regions traverse. The server compares the number of such " lost " probe vehicles that are within the predefined area to the number of vehicles whose location can match the digital map while traveling through the area. If the number of " stale " devices exceeds the threshold, it can be assumed that a map error is present in that area, and the map error will make the closure judgment unreliable, suspected closure) is invalidated.

Figure 4 shows another example of a situation in which probe data that matches a digital map in an intersection region may result in erroneous positive determinations of the closure of a road element at the intersection if no further verification steps of the present invention are performed . Here, the points representing the GPS " fixes "recorded by the probe vehicles 10 are superimposed on the representation of the road network 12 (obtained from the digital map data) to form a density map While the positions of the instruments traveling along the main road are successfully map-matched, the probe data is "on-ramp" road element R running in the direction of the arrow (and assuming right travel) Since there is no probe traces on the road element R. For S, which is a road element against the main roadway in the direction of the arrow, the method of detecting the closure is based on a pair of road elements R, S, it will be found that there are no appliances on the road element R and there is an infinite length count on the path S. This means that the determination that the road element R is closed In practice, however, the path of the " entry lane " is temporarily relocated to the path T, and according to the probe data the path T has devices running along it, The problem is that the map data does not reflect this. By performing the described verification method, the provisional closure of element S takes into account the uncertainty around the map data for this region The verification method will identify a significant number of " lost traces " that are close to and then " disappearing "

Devices that cross a predefined geographic area covered by a digital map and whose devices can be " map-matched " during their travel across the area are called devices that can not be "map-matched" Is advantageous in its own right and can be used to verify potential road closures identified using any of the techniques described with reference to Figure 1 as well as any techniques. In general, this technique can be used to validate any desired attributes as well as to close closure elements. The present technique may be used to determine the number of devices whose locations can be map-matched, and which can not be map-matched, while traversing a predefined geographic area selected to include the above- . For example, the attribute may be a detected deviation of the road element from the route of the road section representing the section of the digital map.

Returning again to Fig. 1, once the closure is determined, preferably verified, the server may update the digital map data to reflect the presence of a closure related to the road section representing the road element F. The closed data may be provided to third parties for distribution, for example in a traffic broadcast announcement, or may be provided to navigation devices associated with the devices, for example for use in a route search . The server may store data (e.g., as its attributes) indicative of a closure associated with the road segment data for the section F. [

It can be seen that judgments of road closures that can be obtained according to the present invention are more reliable than those of the prior art. The road closure judgments of the present invention are not deduced from the absence of cars or the number of vehicles reduced to less than the " normal " number of vehicles detected along a given road element, but rather the number of alternative road element entries Since it is based on detecting a count of the amount of vehicles moving along a given element of a set of enemy road elements. This is because the number of probe vehicles moving along the road element is highly time dependent. For example, the number of vehicles varies by time, such as day and night, weekdays and weekends, or bank holidays. It is therefore difficult to compare the " expected " level of traffic and to detect " changes " over time in the traffic pattern of road elements. It is difficult to define what the expected level is. In addition, when attempting to detect the absence of vehicles, it is necessary to establish a time period during which no vehicles should be detected in order to deduce that the element is closed. For some road elements, the vehicle member for several hours may not mean closure. Instead, by referring to the presence of vehicles, the present invention enables closure determination to be made faster and within predictable time frames, making it suitable for real-time implementations.

Now, a threshold for determining whether a count of vehicles taking one road element of alternative incoming elements or a set of alternative outgoing elements represents a closure of another one of the road elements may be set The method will be described in more detail.

For a node (e.g., an intersection) having a set of n alternative outgoing road elements or a set of n alternative incoming road elements, the relative probability of a given one element of the road elements taken in the set of elements (p _i ) is defined as n _i By counting the number of probe vehicles. At this time, i = 1, ..., M. Where M is the number of road elements in the set.

방정식 1

Equation 1

Also, the determined relative probabilities (p _i ) may be referred to as turning fractions. The relative probabilities will have values in the range [0, 1]. For a reliability assessment of the relative probability of a given road element taken, a sufficiently large number of traces [sample size] should be used.

Advantageously, the relative probability data (e.g., the relative probability) used to set a threshold for determining whether a count of a sequence of vehicles observed on the road element represents a closure of another element of the set of elements For example, the turn ratio data is for a given time period applicable to the current time. This may be accomplished by storing relative probability data for a number of different time periods (e.g., morning peak time, afternoon peak time, weekday, weekend, or one hour time slot for each day of the week). The server will then access the applicable data at the current time. In this example, since this is a " real-time " system implementation, the selected data relates to the current time.

As discussed above, the probability of closure of a given road element of a set of incoming or outgoing road elements increases as the sequence count on another element of the road elements increases. In accordance with the present invention, a threshold is set, and any count greater than the threshold, which is observed in a given road element of a set of alternative road elements coming out of the node, , It can be considered to represent the closure of another road element of the set of elements.

The threshold value used in the present invention is set in consideration of a desired degree of reliability in judging the closure and in determining the relative probability of the road element associated with the count, taken from the set of incoming or outgoing elements. The length distribution of the obtained sequence counts will be above the given sample size of the observations.

A Gumbel statistical method may be used to determine an appropriate threshold value that provides a desired closure probability based on a cumulative distribution of lengths of sequence counts obtained for a given sample size. Taking into account the statistics, it is possible to determine the length of a sequence that can be used as a threshold value, not as a result of the alternative path being closed, taking into account the relative probability of the road element to be taken and the reliability of the required desired level, The length of the sequence is long enough so that it can not reasonably be expected to occur.

The level of the threshold is determined such that a count exceeding the threshold at a given road element of the incoming road element or set of outgoing road elements is associated with a given probability of closure of the alternative road element of the set.

는 주어진 확률 분포를 가진 확률 변수 (X)가 x 보다 작거나 같은 값에서 발견될 확률을 말한다.The closure probability of an alternative road element based on the observed sequence count (x) in the road element that is the object of the sequence count can be calculated from the Gumbel statistics taking into account the relative probability p _i . The cumulative distribution function

Is the probability that a random variable (X) with a given probability distribution will be found at a value less than or equal to x.

The formula for the cumulative distribution function is:

방정식 2

Equation 2

At this time,

방정식 3

Equation 3

방정식 4

Equation 4

Equation 2 can be referred to as a " quantile function ", where as a value x for a given probability p, the probability variable X is located at or below a value x with probability x .

If the observed sequence of vehicles in the road segment to be counted exceeds a _threshold (x _threshold ) according to the desired closure probability level (P = P _closed ) (i.e., the desired level of confidence in determining that the segment is closed) , The alternative road segment is detected as " closed ". The threshold for observing a sufficiently large sequence (x _threshold ) is calculated based on the relative probability ( _pi ), i.e. a turning fraction, which uses the following equation, which is inversely related to equation (2)

방정식 5

Equation 5

Equation 5 shows that given a probability threshold value P _closed ), It is possible to directly determine the number of vehicles to be counted in the sequence on one road element so as to be able to conclude that the alternative road element is closed. For example, P _closed Can be set at 99% for robust reliability levels in real applications. If the count of probe vehicles observed in the sequence in the road section exceeds this threshold, the road element is detected as " closed ". In addition to the observed sequence counts in the real-time system, the main input variable for this threshold is the relative probability or turning fraction associated with the road element.

Figures 5A-D are graphs for equation 2 for a sequence count (x) in a road element considered for different relative probabilities (i. E., Turning probabilities associated with alternative road elements whose closure is determined) Are the plots of the cumulative distribution function calculated accordingly. Figures 5a-d refer to the case where two road elements are considered; One is judged to be closed, and one is counted. Figures 5A-5D are plots with a turning probability (" basic turning probability ") of 0.01, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.9, respectively, for road elements tested for closure. Thus, these plots will reflect the case where the road element is a minor road (0.01) or a main road (0.9), and will reflect the cases between them. Of course, since there are only two road elements, the turning probability for the road element to be counted will simply be derived from these values. In these plots, the horizontal axis is a random variable that is the length of the sequence count observed in the element to be counted here, referred to herein as " alternative ".

The relevant plot taking into account the turning probability of the road element to be counted is inferred that the other road element is closed with the desired level of certainty (as indicated by selecting the appropriate value along the vertical axis for the cumulative distribution function) Which is the length of the sequence count to be observed in the element to be counted in order to determine the threshold value.

5A to 5D, in order to detect closed entry and exit, a longer sequence count that is observed on the main road (i.e., the road with a higher relative probability value associated therewith) is required, and a closed main road is detected , A shorter sequence count in the entry / exit path with less probability is required.

∞), 롱런(longest run) 시퀀스 관측들의 실행들은 나누어질 것이다. 이는, 상이한 표본 크기 값(N)들에 대해 누적 분포 함수의 주어진 값에 도달하기 위해 대안적 도로 요소에서 요구되는 관측들의 수에 대한 상기 누적 분포 함수를 나타내는 도 5a 내지 도 5d에서 볼 수 있다. N이 증가함에 따라, 누적 분포 함수는 오른쪽으로(더 큰 값들로) 이동된다. 그러나 이러한 이동은 단지 로그 스케일일 뿐이기 때문에, 변화가 작은 이동이다. 실제 응용에 대해, 이러한 파라미터를, 특정 관측이 도로 요소에 있는 프로브 차량의 카운트들의 매우 큰 표본에 기초한다는 가정을 반영하는, 충분히 큰 값(예를 들어, N=10⁶)으로 설정하는 것으로 충분하다.Referring to Equations 2 to 4, it can be seen that the formula for the distribution function depends on the parameter N, which is the total number of all observations (sample size). For infinity N

∞), and longest run sequence observations will be divided. This can be seen in Figures 5A-5D which show the cumulative distribution function for the number of observations required in an alternative road element to reach a given value of the cumulative distribution function for different sample size values (N). As N increases, the cumulative distribution function is shifted to the right (to larger values). However, since this shift is only logarithmic, the shift is a small shift. For practical applications, it is sufficient to set this parameter to a sufficiently large value (e.g., N = 10 ⁶ ), which reflects the assumption that a particular observation is based on a very large sample of the probe vehicle counts in the road element Do.

Referring to Figs. 5A to 5D, let us consider an example of an entry / exit path and a main path, in which a turning ratio of p = 0.1 is set for the entry / exit path and a turning ratio of p = 0.9 is set for the main path.

If the main road is, for example, P _closed 5d shows that the sequence count of about five vehicles in the ramp will be sufficient to determine that the vehicle has been closed with a " closure probability " of 90% = 90%. This count length will only be observed in the last 10% of the distribution of the sequences for the relevant sample size (N). That is, if the closure probability is 90%, and there is no closure occurring in the alternative road section, the probability that such a length count will generally be observed is only 10%.

Conversely, if it is desired to detect the closing of the entry and exit path, referring to FIG. 5B, about 100 consecutive observations are required in the count along the main road. In Figure 5b, the exact observations are 86, 108, and 130, respectively, according to different N values.

If we are interested in determining the presence of a closure at a probability level of 99%, then these thresholds are shifted to higher values. Thus, naturally, in the absence of closure, only the last 1% of the observed sequences for a given sample size will be above the critical length.

 The above discussion relates to the use of a Gumbel (or " longest ") distribution that describes the maximum probability that someone will continue to observe a series of N events when considering the basic probability p for a single event , It is also possible to use other distributions to determine the threshold. Such an alternative distribution is a geometric distribution that accounts for the probability that the initial success event requires x independent experiments with success probabilities p. In the present invention, the " experiment " is to observe that the probe vehicle does not cross a given road but instead takes an alternative link, and the " success probability " is the turning probability for the node in question. The cumulative distribution function and the quartile function for the geometric distribution are:

방정식 6

Equation 6

방정식 7

Equation 7

By comparing Equation 2 and Equation 5 for the Gumbel distribution with Equations 6 and 7 for the geometric distribution, the geometric distribution does not depend on the sample size, so it can be a simpler choice when implementing the described method . However, the Gumbel distribution is a more conservative estimate, and is more likely to result in lower "false positive" results in practice.

Finally, although the appended claims describe certain combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific combinations of the claims herein, It should be noted that the present invention extends to include any combination of the features and embodiments described herein whether or not specifically described in the claims appended hereto.

Claims (16)

CLAIMS 1. A method for detecting closure of a traveling element forming part of a network of navigable elements within a geographic area,
Wherein the network of visited elements comprises a plurality of visited elements connected by a plurality of nodes, the method comprising:
Obtaining positional data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along respective elements of a set of two or more alternative travel elements incoming to a node of the network;
Using said location data to determine a count of devices in the sequence of consecutive devices that have selected a given element of the incoming set of two or more alternative visited elements from among the incoming para elements of the set ; And
Comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the two or more alternative set of visited elements arriving at the node is closed. CLAIMS 1. A method for detecting closure of a traveling element forming part of a network of traveling elements in a geographic area,
Wherein the network of visited elements comprises a plurality of visited elements connected by a plurality of nodes, the method comprising:
Obtaining positional data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along respective elements of a set of two or more alternative outgoing flights from a node of the network;
Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of devices that select a given element of the set of two or more alternative outgoing tokens elements out of the outgoing tokens of the set; And
Comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative visited elements leaving the node is closed. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And when the count exceeds the threshold, determining that the alternative referential element is closed. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the threshold is set such that the number of devices in the determined count of the sequence of devices for selecting the given visited element is less than the number of devices that can be expected in the absence of a closed presence occurring in another of the set of aspheric elements And only when a statistically significant amount is exceeded. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the threshold is set with reference to a relative probability of a given one of the set of alternative attribution elements to be selected from the set of alternative attribution elements. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the relative probability is a relative probability that is a historical relative to a position of movement of a plurality of devices moving along a respective element of the set of two or more alternative navigation elements at the node, Based on the data, at least in part. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Further comprising attempting to match the position data received from each of the plurality of devices with a position on one of the plurality of legacy sections of the digital map representing the network of the legacy elements , Way. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein each of the incoming set of two or more alternative visited elements or one or more of the outgoing sets of two or more alternative visited elements are each represented by one or more legacy sections in a geographic region covered by the digital map, The method comprising:
Defining a geographical area covered by the map, the geographical area being covered by the map, the meta area comprising the taxonomic element or each taxonomic section representing the taxonomic element determined to be affected by the closure;
The number of devices for which positions can be matched with the ancestral section of the digital map data while moving through the geographic area may be selected such that the location can be matched with the navigation section of the digital map within the geographic area To the number of pixels; And
And verifying the determined closure using the comparison results. 9. The method of claim 8,
The ratio of the number of devices that can not be matched with the section of the digital map during traveling through the geographical area and the number of devices that can be matched with the section of the digital map during traveling through the geographical area, Determining that the determined closure is not valid when the determined threshold is exceeded; And / or
The ratio of the number of devices that can not be matched with the section of the digital map during traveling through the geographical area and the number of devices that can be matched with the section of the digital map during traveling through the geographical area, And when it is less than the determined threshold, verifying the closure. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Further comprising associating the determined, optionally validated, data indicative of closure with the clipping section or each clipping section representing the affected clipping element in the digital map. A system, optionally for detecting a closure of a traveling element forming part of a network of traveling elements within a geographic area,
Wherein the network of visited elements comprises a plurality of visited elements connected by a plurality of nodes, the system comprising:
Means for obtaining positional data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along respective elements of a set of two or more alternative travel elements incoming to a node of the network;
Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of consecutive devices that have selected a given element of the incoming set of two or more alternative visited elements from among the incoming set of visited elements Way; And
And means for comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative visited elements entering the node has been closed. A system, optionally for detecting a closure of a traveling element forming part of a network of traveling elements within a geographic area,
Wherein the network of visited elements comprises a plurality of visited elements connected by a plurality of nodes, the system comprising:
Means for obtaining position data for movement of a plurality of devices moving along each element of a set of two or more alternative travel elements outgoing from a node of the network;
Using the location data to determine a count of devices in a sequence of consecutive devices that have selected a given element of the set of outgoing two or more alternative visited elements out of the set's outgoing topic elements Way; And
And means for comparing the count to a predetermined threshold to determine whether another of the set of two or more alternative visited elements leaving the node has been closed. CLAIMS 1. A method for verifying an attribute of a traveling element forming a part of a network of moving elements within a geographic region,
Wherein the network of visited elements comprises a plurality of visited elements connected by a plurality of nodes,
Each hypothetical element being represented by one or more hypothesized sections of a digital map covering the geographic region, the method comprising:
Defining a geographic area within the area covered by the map, the geographic area comprising one or more binned sections representing a binomial element, the binomial element being associated with the one or more binomial sections, Branch, step;
Obtaining positional data on movement of a plurality of devices over time within the geographic area;
The number of devices for which positions can be matched with the ancestral section of the digital map data while moving through the geographic area may be selected such that the location can be matched with the navigation section of the digital map within the geographic area To the number of pixels; And
And using the comparison results to verify an attribute associated with the hypothetical element. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein said attribute indicates a suspected closure of said referential element. A system for verifying an attribute of a traveling element forming a part of a network of traveling elements in a geographic region,
Wherein the network of visited elements comprises a plurality of visited elements connected by a plurality of nodes,
Each hypothetical element being represented by one or more hypothesized sections of a digital map covering the geographic region, the system comprising:
Means for defining a geographical area within the area covered by the map, the geographical area comprising one or more boolean terms representing a boolean element, the boolean element being associated with the one or more boolean terms, Branches, means;
Means for obtaining position data relating to movement of a plurality of devices over time within the geographic region;
The number of devices for which positions can be matched with the ancestral section of the digital map data while moving through the geographic area may be selected such that the location can be matched with the navigation section of the digital map within the geographic area Means for comparing the number of times with the number of times; And
And means for verifying an attribute associated with the hypothetical element using the comparison results. A computer program product, embodied on an optionally non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising computer readable instructions executable to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, 13 and 14. product.

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